History.
We've beeing doing the Well-Trained Mind four-year history cycle. Connor loves it. I did love it. I have become ambivalent.
Highlands Latin School does classcial/medieval history studies, and American studies. A curriculum proposed by someone on my classical education yahoo group does much the same, but includes reading Churchill in high school for English history.
I would love to focus more on classical and medieval studies, and a little more on American studies than we find in Story of the World. I worry, though, that if we went to the HLS model, or Drew's model, that we wouldn't be studying enough world history.
What to do?
Connor loves history. With him I could focus on classical studies and just give him world history books to read. If I were to assign him sections in Kingfisher to read on his own, daily, he'd love it. Aidan will not be the same.
I believe that it's best to focus on classical history, but I don't want to exclude world history.
I'm thinking about focusing on classical studies, but having us listen to the SOTW CDs several times. It would be easy to just listen to SOTW 4, for instance, in half a year; we wouldn't do any narrations or activities, we'd just listen. Where interest struck, we could pause and delve into more sources. They'd hear about modern world history, but it would be more of a casual, side thing.
Hmmm.
Thinking.
posted by Stephanie not in TX at 11:59 AM
4 Comments:
Thank goodness we found you! I was suffering 1/16th withdrawal. Hope the server is happy again soon. - Mungo
6:40 AM
A couple of thoughts on the history issue. I think using SOTW as a supplement is a great idea - I plan to do this myself. Another possibility is to work history in with geography, e.g., we're learning the countries of South America this year, let's read up on South American history. That's a bit more haphazard, of course, but I've found that even reading geography picture books has helped J. make connections between, say, Bible history and contemporary history.
A lot of the older world history can be handled in CCS (What country is "Babylonia" now? Who were the Crusaders fighting against and why?) or AMS (What were some of the effects of the American Revolution on other countries, e.g., France?) or through family reading (Tale of Two Cities).
I still think a narrative history - CHOW or SOTW - is the best way to go, I just wouldn't rely on it exclusively, or at the pace that SWB suggests. Does that help? -D.
6:56 AM
I think my problem is more of where to go from where I am.
We're in the middle of SOTW 3. We're on the American Revolution, which SOTW devotes an entire chapter to. Now, I do like my kids learning American history in a context with the rest of the world. It is frustrating, however, when you look at how much there is to learn about the Revolution. We could spend months on this alone, of course.
I'm trying to decide if I should just go on with the rest of SOTW, while at the same time continuing to study the Am. Revolution to my satisfaction? Will that add too much work to our days? Will it drive me crazy?
If I want to take up the Multum non Multa recs in 5th grade - well, I'd like to, but much of those are medieval words and we'll be ready for more ancients then. If I want to switch to those recommendations and that kind of track before 5th grade, then we'll be covering Am. Hist. stuff that we've already done, and my son will wonder why we're backtracking and not moving FORWARD.
This four-year history cycle seems to go at a breakneck speed that I hate. On the other hand, it's comforting to think that if they don't get it this time, we still have two more trips through the cycle.
My oldest is going to continue with world history in some way anyway, because its what he loves.
I'm sure this is really an easy problem, and I just can't see the forest for the trees. Sometimes this education thing is like that, though.
11:19 AM
What about doing a Summer of The American Revolution supplement? You could take a break from SOTW and do a three-month intensive of the Amer. History study. They're still small, so there's much that will have to wait, just b/c of the depth of content. But it's a good intro.
Hmmm, actually, it might be fun to do summer supplements each year- something a bit more intensive, although not necessarily in the same subject each summer...
OK, I have to think on that and see if it needs developing. :-)
Dy
7:12 AM
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